The Resurrection Of Charles Manson (2023) Review

Tianna (Katherine Hughes) is an aspiring young actress who has set her sights on landing a part as an acolyte of Charles Manson in an upcoming film.

In order to create an atmospheric audition tape, she rents an AirBnB property in the desert and heads out there with boyfriend Mitch (Josh Plasse). As Tianna prepares for the recording and Mitch heads out to soak up some of the local atmosphere, their paths may be about to cross with a local group whose sole aim is bringing the infamous cult leader back to life, whatever it takes…

Showing up in a what is apparently a markedly different version than its original cut due to some extensive re-editing, one can only speculate as to the quality of the material which was previously present, but the film presented here shows few signs of its troubled path to the screen and, if it was indeed a salvage job, the result is a watchable, though unexceptional, tale which can’t quite decide just how much of a horror movie it wants to be.

Director Remy Grillo clearly knows how to obtain decent performances from his cast and there’s a certain flair to the proceedings that suggests he has the necessary talent to helm something in the future that will leave more of a mark than this.

There’s the odd decent moment of suspense along the way, teasing the promise of a climax much more satisfying than the one the viewer is given and the overall effect is one of what the film could have been.

Part of the problem is that, as admirable as the intention is to build a growing sense of menace rather than go for the gore, the story unfolds at too steady a pace to ratchet up the tension, especially as the cult aspect takes a reasonably long time to be introduced properly, even in a movie than only runs for 78 minutes (and begins to roll the end credits just after 73).

Despite this, there’s a fun twist about halfway, changing the course of the story and introducing a major dilemma for one of the characters which is played out pleasingly.

Save for the acting, which is a cut above the norm, this is an enterprise where everything is far from terrible but also far from great. The Resurrection Of Charles Manson rolls along agreeably and there are enough plot wrinkles – plus a svelte runtime – to keep the viewer watching but every good idea it has, such as the hold which cult figures still have on people through the decades, is annoyingly underdeveloped in favour of the usual rural types behaving oddly and the sudden race to the sacrificial denouement, although the one deployed here is oddly creepy in its banal, ramshackle nature and there’s a genuine air of hopelessness regarding the fate of the victim.

Predictably, and thankfully, Frank Grillo (yes, he’s Remy’s dad) elevates the piece whenever he’s on screen. Unfortunately, he’s not on screen all that much so savour those few scenes involving him, channelling all of that charisma and air of danger into a role that’s so thinly sketched that it would have blown away with the tumbleweeds had it not been for a performer of his calibre breathing so much life into it.

Jamie King fares even worse, turning up as the wife of Grillo’s character and whose function in the story is to…actually, what is her function in the story? It’s pleasing to see her but it’s also a catastrophic waste of her talent.

Considering its subject matter, this doesn’t feel exploitative in its treatment of real-life events, which is a plus. Actual footage of Manson is used sparingly and at no point does anything shown here condone his actions whatsoever. It’s clear that the folks trying to bring Charlie back are very much the bad guys and those oft-raked over details of the Manson family’s killing spree are avoided entirely.

The Resurrection Of Charles Manson ends up feeling like three shorts glued together – indie relationship drama, Texas Chainsaw-style chiller in which city folks stumble upon something weird in the sticks and, ultimately, cult mob nightmare. It’s put together with some care and there’s a feeling that all involved are trying to make a movie that’s not your standard low-budget horror fare, but it never coalesces as a whole and you may struggle to recall anything striking about it except Hughes and the consistently impressive Frank Grillo.

The Resurrection of Charles Manson is available on Digital Download from now and can be ordered Here

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